REGULATIONS ON PETROLEUM BLENDING UNDER CURRENT LAW

Petroleum blending is an important technical activity in the petroleum supply chain, aimed at producing gasoline and oil products that meet technical standards before being marketed. This is a conditional business activity subject to strict state management under Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP, as amended by Decree No. 95/2021/ND-CP.

The key regulations governing petroleum blending are as follows:

1. Eligible entities permitted to blend petroleum

Only traders meeting statutory conditions are allowed to conduct blending activities, specifically:

• Petroleum import–export hub traders (traders acting as petroleum wholesalers/prime dealers) may blend petroleum at:

  • production facilities,

  • blending workshops, or

  • petroleum depots serving the trader’s own domestic distribution needs.

• Traders of all economic sectors (not being hub traders) are permitted to blend petroleum only within bonded petroleum warehouses.

These restrictions are intended to ensure effective control over product quality and origin of blended petroleum.

REGULATIONS ON PETROLEUM BLENDING UNDER CURRENT LAW

2. Requirements for petroleum quality testing laboratories

Within 01 year from the date of issuance of the Petroleum Export–Import Business License, any hub trader conducting petroleum blending must:

• establish or have access to a qualified laboratory capable of testing petroleum quality in accordance with National Technical Regulations (QCVN).

Such laboratory may be:

• owned by the enterprise; or

• outsourced to a recognized/accredited testing organization.

Quality testing is mandatory to ensure that blended products satisfy national standards before circulation on the market.

3. Registration of blending facilities

Hub traders conducting petroleum blending must:

• register their petroleum blending facilities in accordance with guidance of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The registration dossier typically includes:

• facility information,

• blending equipment and production lines,

• operating procedures,

• testing laboratory details,

• safety and fire prevention and fighting (PCCC) systems, etc.

Registration enables competent authorities to supervise and assess an enterprise’s blending capacity.

Petroleum blending may only be carried out by traders fully satisfying legal conditions regarding eligible business entities, infrastructure and facilities, qualified quality-testing laboratories, and proper registration of blending facilities. This is a mandatory compliance requirement to ensure that blended petroleum products entering the market are safe, standard-compliant, and traceable as to origin.

Petroleum blending is a critical technical stage in the national energy supply chain and is subject to particularly strict legal control. Limits on eligible entities, mandatory certified testing laboratories, and facility registration obligations aim not only to control quality and origin, but also to ensure fire and explosion safety, environmental protection, and stability of the domestic petroleum market.

In the context of continuously updated legislation and enhanced inspection by authorities, enterprises engaged in petroleum blending should thoroughly understand applicable regulations, accurately evaluate their infrastructure capacity, complete required legal dossiers, and establish compliant operating procedures. This helps minimize legal risks, strengthen competitiveness, and ensure that products released to the market meet QCVN standards.

With a team of experienced lawyers and legal experts in the Industry and Trade sector, possessing in-depth knowledge of the petroleum legal framework, Vietlink Law Firm is ready to support enterprises in reviewing blending eligibility conditions, developing compliance procedures, registering blending facilities, completing legal dossiers, and providing ongoing legal consultancy.

Vietlink is committed to delivering comprehensive, accurate, and timely legal services, helping enterprises operate petroleum blending activities in full compliance and with long-term sustainability.

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